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Steinbrenner High Focus Of Discussion

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: February 25, 2009

LUTZ - Steinbrenner High School is still working out the courses, clubs and extracurricular activities it will offer when it opens in August, but Principal Brenda Grasso could put to rest one persistent - and odd - rumor.

The school mascot "absolutely will not" be the Sea Turtles.

Parents and students applauded.

Grasso held a town hall meeting last week at Martinez Middle, which sits next to Steinbrenner, under construction on Lutz-Lake Fern Road. She introduced herself and Kelly King, the assistant principal for curriculum. Together, they make up the entire Steinbrenner staff for now.

About 60 parents and students attended to ask questions about the bell schedule, student enrollment, available classes and how they could find out more information. Grasso said the Web site is under construction, and King will move into the new building in March. Grasso, now principal at Gaither, will soon follow.

The Hillsborough County School District set attendance boundaries this month for Steinbrenner, and students are filling out forms listing classes they would like to take there.

King said she and Grasso will analyze the electives students choose and will offer what they want as long as enough students enroll for a viable class.

Some classes are a given, King said.

Steinbrenner already has committed to foreign language classes, Advanced Placement and career and technical programs. Veterinary assisting is proposed, as is pharmacy and technology and engineering specialties. Freshmen also will be required to take a computer course.

If students want a certain class that Steinbrenner can't offer, Grasso said the school might be able to have a classroom with computers where they could take online versions on the class they want under a teacher's supervision.

Steinbrenner plans to offer every varsity and junior varsity sport other Hillsborough County high schools have, as well as a dance squad, cheerleading, band, chorus and orchestra.

It also will have all available honor societies. Other clubs and organizations can form if they have a staff sponsor and enough participants.

"I don't want you to think that our students will be short-changed an opportunity," Grasso said.

Grasso and King are going to feeder middle schools and Sickles and Gaither high schools, where thousands of students have been reassigned to Steinbrenner. She talks with students about what to expect with a new school and is urging the incoming high school juniors to assume leadership roles, because Steinbrenner will not have a senior class its first year.

Grasso hopes all students help shape the high school's future traditions.

"We both are very much about student input so they feel this is their school," Grasso said.

Students are voting for a mascot, selecting from options that include the Clippers, Stallions and, yes, Yankees. King said students can add suggestions but some popular ones, like the Spartans, cannot be considered if other high schools use them.

One father, though, had strong feelings about what the mascot should not be: "All I can say is I'm begging you, please don't call it the Yankees."

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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